


Antidote

by freckleslikeconstellations



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Growing feelings, Humour, Ravenclaw OFC - Freeform, Severus is very sarcastic about Flitwick's height, Sexual References, castle break-in, determined reader, looming separation, set in Harry's third year, your seventh year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 06:47:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14847782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckleslikeconstellations/pseuds/freckleslikeconstellations
Summary: On the night of the flight of the Fat Lady Severus and you find each other.





	1. Severus

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your support. :)

The flight of the Fat Lady concerns Severus Snape for a number of reasons. Not least that, that obnoxious hound Sirius Black might be in the vicinity and peeing all over the castle walls again, but because it brings back some horrible memories. That itch of being different and of trying to find some safe nook in the castle to hide away in, hopefully with Lily too. He'd rather suppress such memories even though they'd started to flow more freely again of late because of Dumbledore’s silly appointment of Lupin. He lets a rare smile cross over his face at the thought of Lily however, before he becomes pained and solemn again, as his happier times with her fade into the bleakness that had come after. It is bad enough of course, whether the invader is Black or not, though he’d actually put a large bet on it being so, that someone has penetrated the castle’s walls. But the intrusion gives him a more pressing matter to check upon. His Dark Mark seems to burn lightly against his left forearm as he thinks of you. He is not sure if it is his imagination and the terrible memories of what had happened before, which make him promise himself that he won’t let the same thing ever happen again or if the Dark Lord really _is_ getting closer to being resurrected. Whatever the case though it is not good news for him. 

 

Having already seen his house safely to the Great Hall he stops at the top of a spiral staircase in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room and almost deflects the riddle he answers it so easily. He is sure that Filius Flitwick will already have checked the safety of that particular common room and dormitories, but he’d seen the Hufflepuffs being led on his way there and feels an odd tingle of nerves at the fact that he hasn’t encountered a single member of Ravenclaw. If questioned he can always tell Filius that it was Dumbledore’s idea if he really must. Mind you Dumbledore’s been giving him these little x-ray glances of late so maybe that’s not a good idea either. Maybe he’ll just do that thing where he pretends to be oblivious to the fact that he’s been asked a question and walk away again. In any case it is better to check. Logic tells him naturally that everything will be all right, but he has this nagging doubt, which has gripped him and he knows won’t fade until it’s completely resolved. The rocking of his emotions scares him. He has not felt this strongly _since-_

 

“Ah Severus, everything all right?” It is Filius. He stands by the entrance, which Severus has just clambered through. The Charms Professor bounces on his heels.

 

Severus wishes to tell him that, that does not make him any taller and ask him why on earth he’s just standing there, but settles on, “It’s possible that a mass murderer has gained entry into these castle walls tonight, but of course everything is, as you put it, ‘all right,’ Filius. No problems here.”

 

Filius seems to struggle not to roll his eyes at him, but since Severus can’t be sure-it is quite a way for him to look down after all-he lets him, on this rare occasion, get away with it. “Regrettable of course for the Fat Lady,” Filius continues to rock on those heels of his and Severus hums in irritation, “But at least everyone else seems to be accounted for.”

 

 _‘How would you know without having led your house to the Great Hall?’_ is what Severus wishes to ask him, but instead he looks off into the common room instinctively. He is surprised to find that the very student with whom he has been most concerned about is standing quite close and not sitting down with the rest of her house. He struggles not to lose his composure or even to smile like he had done when he’d thought of Lily earlier. You give him a bit of an odd look, as if you’d sensed what he’d been about to do and that, that had been the most unnerving thing of all. You _do_ look a little relieved to see him though. He clears his throat and for everyone else’s benefit, but especially for Filius’s he says, “Miss. L/N. What are you doing on your feet? You should be sitting down with the rest of your house.”

 

“Yes sir,” you say quietly, hands locked together and so meek and different from the loudness that you sometimes release when you’re with him. You seem to give him a secret smile, as if you’re thinking of those times too, before you go and re-join your house.

 

“She was a little concerned that we weren’t making our way down to the Great Hall I think,” Filius supplies. Severus looks across at you again, where you’re chatting now with one of your friends, but he knows that you put up with them more than enjoy their company. Had you been worried about him? He feels touched. He notices you tweaking at your hair, before you take the opportunity to glance his way again. He looks back at Filius rather than think about kissing you. “Since Dumbledore hasn’t given us the go-ahead however”- the shorter man goes on.

 

“Headmaster Dumbledore had already given you the go ahead to proceed, as soon as you got here Filius or did you not hear him? I suppose with a body as short as yours your ears are also smaller?” He raises a coy eyebrow, emboldened and made more mischievous by your presence. 

 

Filius gives him a look and gathers up his house’s attention.

 

As you move past him Severus throws you a glance that he knows only you will understand.

 

*

 

True to his thoughts you enter Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom as he prowls through it, pretending to be on the lookout for any stray students. Myrtle herself is thankfully too occupied with crying in one of the stalls about how if she’d had a portrait made of her it would have probably been targeted that night. He’s on the verge of telling her not to be so silly-a portrait would never have been made of such a miserable, whining woman and a person like that would never have been fit to guard any of the houses of Hogwarts at any rate-when his eyes find you instead. You’re coming towards him a little unsurely, as if you might even pass him by though you have come here specifically for him and he is torn between exasperation and fondness when he sees you throw a concerned glance Myrtle’s way. He is determined to change the direction your mind’s heading for however and makes a beeline straight for you. He sees the way that your brain shudders at his precise movement and you too change your pace and head diagonally for him. He lifts the corner of his mouth in a smirk and more confident you rush at him, press a hand to his chest, which makes his heartbeat soar and stand on your tiptoes-he curves a hand around your back to help steady you-in order to kiss him.

 

Your lips brush together fervently-your larger ones engulfing his thin ones and sending a rare and very enjoyable light-headedness to his brain. You only break apart from one another when Myrtle moans, “Who’s there?! People kissing now! No one cares about miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle.” She lets out an elongated wail and dives into the toilet, sending a rush of water out towards Severus and you.

 

Severus steers you into a stall that’s further away and your lips come together again as he does so.

 

“I was worried about you,” you murmur as you draw apart for breath.

 

“I shared…similar feelings,” is the most that he can return, but you seem thrilled by him even having said that much and he makes to kiss you again, hand brushing at your hair. At the possibility of losing you he has worked out just how strongly he feels and he doesn’t know what will happen now, but knows that you should face it together. That he is determined of.


	2. You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your perspective of that same night.

When Sirius Black breaks into Gryffindor Tower you’ve only just made it back to the Ravenclaw one after your final Halloween Feast had taken place and one of your dormmates, Belinda, who reminds you oddly enough of a cow with her light brown hair that she often puts a ring of daisies upon in the summer months and her soulful green-brown eyes is saying how Johnny Mathias will re-discover how she’s the love of his life before the end of the year if she has anything to do with it. It is a time of melancholy and laughter and befuddlement after the great feast, as the rest of the girls start up with ways about how she might be able to go about that. Some involve magic and some don’t. You hang back a little thoughtfully, close to one of the bookshelves and with your mind very much on your own love-Severus Snape. You’d noticed how his eyes had kept flicking to Lupin that night and his pre-occupation with the man and his own time at Hogwarts concerns you. It’s one of the reasons that you aren't much looking forward to leaving the castle for good. That and the fact that you’ll actually have to work out what you want to do with your life. Your worry about Severus almost makes you want to see if you can become a teacher, but you know that, that particular career probably wouldn't suit you. You’re quite kind and patient but you’re not _that_ kind and patient. _Although…_ you can barely suppress a grin, it’s not as if Severus is exactly the type of teacher most children hope for either. You picture the hulking, menacing figure that you are more accustomed to witnessing in every Potions class, the way that his black cloak hangs over him, how he draws those spindly fingers together, whilst those coal black eyes observe you…

 

You nearly let out a breath at such thoughts when Belinda says, “What about you F/N?”

 

You snap back into focus again. _“Huh?”_

 

“You got your eye on anyone, before we leave?” She looks at you unblinkingly. “C’mon,” she urges, “This is the moment to reveal that you’ve had an all-consuming crush on someone for seven years.”

 

“Don’t be such a dunce Belinda,” calls across another girl by the name of Anne, “She spends more time with Snape in remedial Potions than watching any boys from afar remember.”

 

You try not to give away what _actually_ happens in remedial Potions-the pale hand, which often slips low over your belly, whilst you work by a cauldron and help Severus re-stock his supplies, the darkness of his clothing, which covers you up in his chambers and that you welcome because it is shrouded in his scent, those thin lips that finally meet yours more and more confidently… 

 

Thankfully, or perhaps not so, you are saved from further inquiries into your love life, which you long to remain private, by the sound of a wailing alarm. _“Urgh,”_ you cover your ears up with your hands. It is followed by an announcement for all students to stay in their common rooms. 

 

You wonder what it’s about and though you half-feel like trying to comfort the first-years, most of whom look frightened and very, very small, which reminds you of how your eight-year-old brother-an accident, but a well-loved one-looks after a nightmare, there’s not much time for speculation for a moment later Filius Flitwick, your Head of House, topples in. He explains that you’ll all need to be going to the Great Hall in due course, which makes you feel very confused and worried about what has taken place and what Severus’ role might be in all of this. You step forwards to ask why you’re not going there straight away and to maybe try and find out more about what has happened too, but just then and as Flitwick gives you a bit of a glance and seems to understand what your question might be, the very man who your thoughts have very much been focused on lately steps into the common room. 

 

As Flitwick and he start to converse you just stare at Severus, hardly daring to believe that he’s there and looking as sarcastic as he ever does. Suddenly his eyes go to you and your heart soars, both at the contact and at the implied fact that he might be looking for you just as you’d begun to want to seek him out. The edge comes off the emotion a moment later though when you detect how close Severus is to softly smiling at you. That feels most out of character for him and you want to question its presence. Of course you can hardly ask anyone if they had seen it and have to trust your own instincts, but it makes you feel thrown. Had he been worried about you? What _is_ going on?

 

He reassures you a moment later though when he practically chivvies you back to your house, as if to tell you not to be so stupid. You keep a close eye on him. 

 

Then, when he sends you a look that you know means he wants to meet with you and you figure out where will be the most likely place given the circumstances you sneak off there as soon as you can.

 

*

 

He looks pre-occupied, that’s what you first think, as he stalks the vacant bathroom stalls and pretends to do a job that he’s probably not even thinking about. 

 

Myrtle’s moans remind you of the alarm and you cast a bit of a look her way. For a moment you feel annoyed and then your anger softens because it really isn’t natural for even a ghost to be making such a din and she concerns you. The whole situation does.

 

Severus starts to turn his body towards you however and you’re quickly distracted. Once you feel more confident you run up to him. 

 

The brooding energy he’d been emitting seems to turn into something more passionate, as he steers you into a stall after Myrtle’s loud interruption and you both need to kiss and feel, so you let him. You don’t ask what’s going on because you know that he won’t tell you anything that you’ll be able to find out when you’ll later go to the Great Hall, lest it compromise you. He’ll escort you there and as a bit of an inside-joke between you he’ll pretend that he’d found you comforting a ghost of all things. Flitwick will award you ten house points, but also give you a bit of a telling off in that squeaky voice of his and Dumbledore will give Severus a little smile that will make you simultaneously laugh and feel a little anxious when Severus reports it to you. 

 

In a few days time though and hopefully when the castle isn’t under such a state of lockdown and tense security-you really wouldn't have chosen this year for your last one if you’d had any say in the matter-you know that you’ll find each other again and lie together in his chambers. You imagine that his left forearm where the Dark Mark is faintly visible will be slumped out of the covers and you’ll half-lean across to trace it. He’ll let out a grunt like that of a cow being accustomed to a fly, but will let you. Slowly his breathing will calm down as you make soothing patterns like that of raindrops upon his skin. An antidote to the venom of the Dark Mark if you will. Knowing what’s been brewing in his mind for days now you’ll tell him that you’re fine and that everything will be, though you’ll be touched by how much the castle break-in has revealed the extent of his feelings for you. You’d started to doubt them on days where you wouldn't much see one another and all you’d have is this smouldering wall he’d put up in every Potions class. Started to forget all those caresses and the gentler way he’d sometimes be with you. The way he’d let you touch his hand as you’d sat beside one another and light would slowly fill his eyes. Now though you won’t forget. You’ll try and hope that something can work out between you…that maybe leaving Hogwarts won’t mean leaving _him_ after all…


End file.
